Mystery Cars

Examining how the mood of the nation before the Second World War influences the creation of the first Jeep in 1940 and how the political climate of 1955 inspires the Flajole Forerunner.

The story of how the 1960 Plymouth XNR is saved from a bombed out garage in Beruit and how the 1955 Chevrolet Biscayne is rescued from a junkyard in Michigan.

The world of automotive design is full of rebels. Preston Tucker shook up the "Big three" when he introduced the Tucker Sedan in 1948. Vincent Bendix was much more secretive when he created the 1934 Bendix SWC.

Ford's partnership with an American steel giant in 1936 produces a trio of stainless steel cars. Chrysler's partnership with an Italian body maker produces the 1953 Chrysler Special.

Studebaker tries to make a wood panelled station wagon in 1947, while Buick makes their foray into the world of fibreglass in 1953 with their Buick Wildcat I.

Chrysler tries to make their cars more fuel efficient by testing the 1932 Trifon in a wind tunnel. Westinghouse attempts to save gas by building an electric powered car in 1967.

In 1958 Chrysler tries to figure out what female buyers wanted in a car and builds the "Fancy Free." Two years earlier Packard looks into the future with their 1956 Packard Predictor.

Size does matter. In 1941 Chrysler introduces two giant concept cars: the Thunderbolt and the Newport. In 1960 artist Ed Roth debuts his tiny "Beatnik Bandit."

The 1938 Phantom Corsair starts the entire car industry looking toward the future. The 1954 Packard Mitchell Panther on the other hand is a desperate final gasp for a failing company.

At first glance, the 1933 Dymaxion looks more like a blimp than a car, but it goes fast. The 1955 LaSalle Roadster and Sedan didn't look like much of anything when they were found in the Warhoops junkyard.

Virgil Exner Jr – the son of the most famous car designer in America – has a few bold design ideas of his own including the Simca Special. The 1959 Scimitar Station Wagon embodies a different kind of bold idea. It proposes Aluminum as a new material for car makers.

The 1966 AMC AMX had a rear window that would flip up to become a windshield for passengers in the "Ramble Seat." The 1954 DeSoto Adventurer II had a rear window that slid down into its elongated tail section.